Daejeon Modern History Exhibition Hall (Former Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office)

At the western end of Jungang-ro, the straight boulevard that runs from Daejeon Station, stands a modern-era building clad in ochre tiles. This is the former main building of the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office, built in 1932 and used as the provincial headquarters for 80 years. Its ground floor now houses the Daejeon Modern History Exhibition Hall, which traces the city's last hundred years. Entry is free, and you can climb the central staircase that appears in the film The Attorney.

How the provincial office made a city

The provincial office of Chungcheongnam-do was originally in Gongju. When the new building opened in Daejeon in 1932, the administration moved, and Daejeon, until then a small town around a railway station, grew into the region's administrative centre. The building was first built with two storeys; a third was added around 1960. During the Korean War it briefly served as Army Headquarters. After the provincial government moved to the new Naepo town in December 2012, the building reopened as an exhibition hall in October 2013.

What to look for in the building

• Façade and entrance: the arched entrance wall is recessed in deliberately uneven steps for a sculpted effect, and the columns and corners are rounded to soften the stiff look of a government office.
• Exterior ornament: it was once suspected of being the emblem of the colonial Government-General, but investigation showed it to be a pattern of overlapping squares, so it was left in place.
• Central staircase and ceilings: behind the entrance a broad staircase leads to the first floor, and the window frames, ceiling mouldings and chandeliers keep the feel of a 1930s public building. Scenes of the film The Attorney (2013) were shot on this staircase and inside the building.
• Heritage status: the building was listed as a National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2002 and is regarded as a typical example of the authoritarian government architecture of the colonial period.

What to see in the exhibition

The permanent exhibition on the ground floor uses photographs and documents to show how Daejeon grew from a railway town in the early 20th century into a metropolitan city. The special exhibition hall changes its themes, from history and architecture to urban planning, design and popular culture. The hall is run by the Daejeon Museum of History, and also hosts concerts and education programmes.

The road from station to government

Stand in front of the old provincial office and look east: Jungang-ro runs dead straight to Daejeon Station. Banks, shops and public offices grew up along this axis linking the railway and the provincial government, and together they formed Daejeon's original downtown. After the government left, the old centre lost much of its bustle for a while, but with exhibitions, concerts and classes now held here, the building is drawing people back. A newer wing and several annexes still stand around the main building.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: March to October 10:00–19:00 (last entry 18:30), November to February 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30).
• Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday), 1 January, and the days of Seollal and Chuseok.
• Admission: free.
• Time needed: about 1 hour covers the exhibition and the interior of the building.
• Getting there: about a 5-minute walk from Jung-gu Office Station on Daejeon Metro Line 1. You can also walk from Daejeon Station along Jungang-ro in under 30 minutes, passing Euneungjeongi Culture Street and the old downtown.
• Combine with: the Jungang-ro area right in front was Daejeon's old commercial heart. See how the city changed in the exhibition first, and the streets outside will look different.